The St. Louis bar Open Concept has just opened for business, and its business model is getting a lot of attention. Rather than slinging drinks, they’re in the business of selling“time.” Here’s how it works: you pay $10 and get an hour of time in the bar where you can drink as much as you want. There’s also a $20 Saturday event that’ll feature a buffet and bottomless bellinis and mimosas.
Is there a catch? OF COURSE THERE’S A CATCH, but more on that in a sec. Michael Butler owns Open Concept and he says the idea came from his own fundraiser events when he was running for city recorder. He said the pre-sale tickets allowed the to mix batch drinks in advance and it all worked like a charm.
So here’s how it works: customers book their time online, in advance – and they get a confirmation code. That code is how bartenders keep track of drink orders. And here’s the catch: IDs are scanned and your height and weight is logged…so they know how much customer can drink and how fast they should be drinking. We can just see people clamoring to get in so they can tell the bartender how much they weigh.
As far as drinks, right now they have three beers on tap – all Budweiser products – and Franzia wines. For more discerning palettes, there’s also the “Top Shelf” hourly plan that’ll run you $20 for an hour.
photo: Getty Images